from nbc news this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> oh, yeah. it is try day friday. we made it to the end of the week. guess who is back for another day. meredith vieira. >> guess who else is here, cindy lauper is here. >> she is. >> she's going to talk with us because she has a new reality show that's out. it will be interesting to see her in that -- we've seen her in lots of different venues but never like that.

>> we were talking in the dressing room. with all she knows about the business, why did she decide to do reality tv? i'm interested to know what her answer is. >> how is it, by the way, for you? >> other than this, it's been great. it's been great. it's great being here. >> it's fun? >> seeing everybody. it's really lovely. >> feel like home again? >> no. no, is it does. it does. i'm having a hard week because my kids are going back to college on sunday, and i realize this vacation because our oldest son, ben, lives in china, and he came home for three days, which was great, and then he left for tasmania on christmas to visit his girlfriend, and i realized in that moment that my kids are not going to be around for holidays. it's not -- when they're little, they're there, but now that's not going to happen as much. >> gabe, yeah. >> he comes home last night with lily, and the lights are -- i'm sitting in the living room having a glass of wine, actually. >> of course you are.

>> he said, mom, do you notice anything. gabe had pierced his ear, and he is not somebody that -- i thought why did you do that? he said because dad has once pierced ear. richard did it when he was 18. he wears one little earring. it's a reminder of his hippie days. i want dad to know i'm always thinking of him. it was so sweet. it was a wonderful moment where you go, oh, he is a good boy. >> he is. wow. >> yeah. it's probably going to get infected, but it was a sweet moment. it was a sweet moment. it really was. >> all right. we know that new year's resolutions have passed. a lot of people have made them and probably broke them. >> i don't make them. >> you don't make them? >> no. i know i'm going to break them. >> okay. >> i try to be good all year long. but you do. >> i make the same ones usually every year. i make the resolution to be more organized and neat and so i can find stuff, and yesterday i was coming home, and i was carrying a dry cleaning bag, and i had so

many packages, and i'm at my apartment door, and i cannot find my keys, and i'm digging in my purse, and the purse i have is a long -- those long purses. >> you can never find anything. why do you have that? >> i don't know. i was so pissed in that hallway, and you know when you're just standing there going, and you are just, like, you're letting loose. >> like the way you've done on every show so far that i've been on. >> i want to clarify. >> no, let's not. >> who swore yesterday. it was not me. okay? of the two of us, it was not me. >> it was me. okay. >> this is kind of cool. >> it's very cool. it's an interactive map and helps everybody keep their resolutions. there are dots all over the world. if you click on the dot, you find out somebody's resolution. >> that's cool. you can look around. if you want to look like what people are resolving in your area, you can check. let's check. what are some of the -- what are some of the -- >> organize hoda's purse. stop swearing on tv. that's not mine.

clean meredith's fireplace. a red dot means love. pink is family. blue is other. that's kind of a cool idea. you can go on that app, and you can even click all the way around the world to find out what people in china are resolving and what people in europe and that kind of thing. >> would that encourage you to keep your resolutions seeing what other people are doing? >> no. i would be curious to see what other people want to do. >> yeah. >> what kind of changes they want to make. >> i bet so many people it's losing weight. they want to lose weight. >> yeah. >> there's actually a new app that's out. is that correct? >> this is a cool thing. this is the kind of deal where you punch in your height, your weight, and how much weight you want to lose over what kind of a period of time, and you type it in this app, and it's called my fit pal.com. they say this is the number one app for weight loss. it breaks it down to how many calories you need to eat per day to get your goal by whatever time you would like to reach your goal. >> i thought that was cool. >> you don't really have to think about it. you put the info in, and it follows it for you. >> you put your food in. they calculate the calories.

you know how many more calories you have before the end and that. i don't think i'm disciplined enough to punch everything in, and i think if i even wrote down what i eat over the course of a day -- >> you would be freaked out. >> i would be disgusted with myself. >> you are not a big eater. >> i am. you know what i'm big on? this junk food. >> this is true. there's a new study. three million people from all over the world, and it shows that people who are overweight are actually live longer than people of normal weight. slightly overweight. >> yeah. >> i think that's very interesting. >> i think it is too. i think it's, what, 10 to 20 pounds or 20 to 30. >> they say if you have extra meat on your bones, things like if you fall down -- >> less likely to break a bone. >> less likely to break a bone. >> if you get sick, fat reserves, your body can kick into those. actually, if you are overweight, they say you're more likely to go to the doctor on a regular basis. you have -- >> you have issues. >> so you're getting checked out more often. >> i do not believe that part, do you? >> yeah. i think -- >> do you? >> why not? >> i don't know. i don't know. it seems a little weird.

i think 20 to 30 pounds is a big gap, isn't it? >> yeah, but they also said that if you are slightly obese, maybe that's 20 pounds, 30. , you're going to live at least as long. as least as long somebody with low weight. what's that about? >> let's have a little drink. where have you been? >> so there is -- >> hmm. >> isn't that nice? it's colby red. it's very delicious. >> so people in nebraska have taken on a new game, and it's called fling the fruitcake, and this is because a park superintendent -- this is real. it happened. park superintendent did not like fruitcakes, and so he decided to make a contest of tossing them. i guess in measuring how far people were throwing them. >> i love this. fruitcakes are disgusting. >> they are nasty. what they've done here so that people don't waste food is they've filled those cakes with bird seed so that the birds can polish off the cake. it's not wasting it exactly. there are no -- there's no

really any prize winners, but it's something fun to do. we thought what would be fun -- more fun than us doing it here. so we have -- oh, my god. oh, wait. look at youssef and jerry. where would you like to stand? these are heavy. the idea is to see how many people -- >> these might hurt you. >> do you have helmets? seriously, you might need a helmet. >> i can't throw that far. >> can you throw that far? >> i don't know. please stop cursing. we turn the whole thing or half? >> half. >> oh, they're moving. ♪ >> jerry. >> jerry! wait. oh, yeah. come on, jerry. come on. come on, youssef. come on. oh, that was right in the come on. oh, that was right in the kisser. i like this game. i'm getting out a lot of aggression.

oh, hit him on the leg. ♪ >> this is fun. come on. oh, my god. i like this game. oh, my god. i'm exhausted. how is this cake? >> i don't know. eat it. give me a bite. get over here. it's terrible. >> is it awful? you're not supposed to eat anything off the floor. >> oh, my god. i feel so much better for having done that. >> don't you? >> while we catch our breath, do you know what i think it's time for, it's time for bobby's buzz. come on over, b.t. >> i'm so impressed, hoda. you in heels dancing around. >> hello. >> i hit it more than hoda. >> she kind of did. >> she was running in those heels. >> i was running. that was crazy. >> i want to help you get the year off on a stylish step.

a couple of things that i want to give you, right now if you want to take inventory of your wardrobe, take everything in your closet that's hanging and turn it backwards and then as you wear things this year, turn the hanger -- put it back normal, so by the time you edit your closet in the spring, everything that's backwards you haven't worn. >> get rid of it? >> yes. that's a good way to help you start. i have some cool new boot sticks from the container store that will keep your boots together and standing up in your closet, and everyone should are a fabric shaver. this is a really cool idea to get rid of all the pilling on the sweaters. >> oh, yeah. >> turn it on. it's amazing. it gets rid of all those dots and gives your sweater, especially this time of year, all winter long you've been putting your purse and it kind of gets marked up, and then, of course, everyone should have a steamer. you're saying yes, but i'm shocked at how many people probably watching right now do not own a steamer, and if -- >> really? you use the iron. >> you don't have to iron. it's so much easier.

if you can't get rid of your iron, this panasonic is cordless. it's a steamer and an iron. it's cordless, and eight seconds it charges, and you steam and iron. >> i don't like steamers because your hair frizzes out. >> you're not supposed to steam your hair. >> what is the matter with you? you could get burned. >> oh, my goodness. >> bobby is -- bobby, winter clothes are not your spring clothes. >> by the time spring comes and you're going to put your winter stuff away, you'll know what not to store. >> oh, okay. >> so it helps you edit. >> for the next season. >> exactly. all right. be careful when you tweet. how to make sure you and your kids are safe when it comes to social media and twitter. >> girls just want to have fun. cindy lauper tells us about her new reality show. first these messages. it represents all the time you've spent helping those around you. so when it comes to taxes, we're here to help you.

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their low prices. so our hotels were half price. ♪ h-o-t-w-i-r-e... ♪ hotwire.com i played a round of golf.id in the last five hours? then i read a book while teaching myself how to play guitar; ran ten miles while knitting myself a sweater; jumped out of a plane. finally, i became a ping pong master while recording my debut album. how you ask? with 5-hour energy. i get hours of energy now -- no crash later. wait to see the next five hours. with more than 400 million tweets sent every single day, chances are you or your kids are

using twitter to communicate with friends and family. >> but you could be sharing more information than you know, and with complete strangers no less. today.com's kyle michael miller explains how you could be putting your security at risk. >> you don't tweet. you were thinking ahead. >> exactly. that's not a real concern. >> if you are not much of a tweeter at all, you've sent, what, five or six tweets since 2011? >> almost none. >> rub it in. >> hoda, you are the queen of the 23rd, and meredith, whether you are doing the tweeting or it's your kids, they're probably doing it with a mobile device like this, which could be revealing much more information than you want to put out there. ♪ >> today we live in a world of instant communication. that's great for sending messages fast. this lightning speed tweeting, posting on facebook, and instagram could put your safety and security at risk. >> i love facebook, but i adore twitter, and i especially love it during my show to read what people are saying. >> welcome back. >> msnbc anchor tamron hall is

savvy at twitter, but she once revealed too much information at a concert. >> i tweeted i was there, and someone found me. now i will often say i was at a location rather than i am there, and just for logical reasons. >> after being a victim of cyber bullying a few years back, safety is a top priority for her. overall you feel like you're pretty safe on twitter? >> i do. i think i am. >> i checked your twitter account and found out that she wasn't being as safe as she thought. starting in mid-october whenever you were tweeting from your iphone you have been tweeting out your location too. let me show you. >> i thought i stopped doing that. are you serious? >> i am serious. so let's look here. >> no, i took it off. >> smartphones have built-in gps software for apps like maps and weather use to give you location-specific information. >> head northwest on west 49th street. >> it's easy to forget your location is turned on when using other apps too. with location enabled on twitter, your tweets show this

icon and your city. simply clicking this link launches google maps and allows anyone to zoom in to your approximate location. >> that's border line creepy. >> it's not border line creepy. it is creepy, and it makes me not want to tweet now. >> while she was tweeting during the presidential debates one night, she wasn't at work or in a public place. >> so this neighborhood looks familiar to you? >> it does, indeed. that's where i live. >> google maps and smartphones say a location information is approximate, but i found out it's actually pretty accurate. >> can't wait -- >> with location enabled, i tweeted from inside magnolia bakery. >> on google maps it registered my approximate location is right here on 49th street and the corner of sixth avenue, but it's really only about one, two, three, four, five steps away from the actual location. >> to show just how much information you're sharing with location-enabled for social media, i tracked today show intern morgan lentes for a few days.

she got her haircut on 46th street, left for work from west 33rd street, visited the studio 1a control room at 48th street, shopped at macy's at 34th street, met her brother-in-law for a drink near pen station, ate dinner at her friend's apartment on ninth avenue, flew to ohio leaving from la guardia airport, stayed at a friend's apartment in columbus, and had dinner at mad mex restaurant on north high street. >> it freaked me out to think that you basically know where i was. >> through google maps i was able to find street view pictures of every place she went. >> what about this one right here? >> this is the one that freaked me out the most. that's my friend's apartment in columbus where i spent the weekend. >> my hands are shaking. that's crazy. >> 230r tamron she uses some maps that need her location, but we found out the reason it was showing up on twitter too. >> it's on. >> your location services on. >> that's exactly what happened. >> turn off. >> turn off. never to be turned back on again. >> done.

>> done. you learn something every day. >> yeah. >> the very freaked out tamron hall. that was on msnbc. you are very savvy, tech savvy. but you had no idea you were -- >> i purchased a new iphone. hi the generation before this, whatever, and i bought it, and it was automatically, i guess, loaded with the location services on. i had no idea. >> you thought you blocked it. >> i thought i did, and then when i got this new phone, it was automatically set up, and when i was happy kyle did not show my home, but it showed through my window of my home where i was tweeting from. >> i think what a lot of people do, like, you're at a concert, and you say i'm at a concert, and that's not -- you corrected yourself, and you said i'm not going to do that again, but a lot of people, you're there and shooting pictures. you're excited. is that a no-no? should you not tweet if you are at a public event like that? >> i think you need to balance it. it's a clear balance.

you can have a lot of benefits from actually tweeting and checking in. you can get rewards and get discounts. you can benefit from it and meet with people in places where they're in the same area. the problem is if you are doing it too much or if you are starting to do it where people can start to stereotype you. are you going to bars and restaurants? are you always hanging out at clubs? are you in the doctor's office tweeting and your location from the doctor's? that could tell insurance companies maybe we should increase your premiums. >> paying that close attention to your tweeting? >> absolutely. >> i get worried sometimes because when you say -- even if you just say you're not home, i have thought about -- i wonder if someone know i'm not at my apartment, and therefore, i'm on vacation, let's say, and they say, wow, that's a perfect open target for someone to go ransack a home. does that happen? >> it has happened. with twitter and everything, it's brand new. there was a lot of that. don't tweet when you are going away for vacation or extended periods of time because people that may know you or can find information about your address could use that against you. i don't subscribe to that thought that people are waiting for me to leave my residence,

but you still have to have a dose of comfort and some security and some peace of mind. >> go ahead. i'm sorry. >> you just -- the biggest thing i see people also do is they check in at their home. don't -- >> yeah. >> the presidential debate was on that night, so i was watching for work, and obviously, since i'm an american citizen that votes, i was watching, and i'm tweeting there live, but the thing -- there's a movie called enemies of the state with will smith. and when i saw kyle's piece, i felt we were living in that time where someone, whether it's a company or someone who chooses to follow you, can track your every move. that is creepy. >> what if i am a parent? >> some are totally i don't want to hear anything about it. i don't want my kids on it at all. unfortunately, we have to raise our children to be internet citizens. they're coming up in this digital era. we need to teach them how to make smart decisions with technology, and the thing that they do like about it is that they can cookie crumb where they go. some parents say i'm going to --

i want to know where you are and when you check in, i can get a text message on my phone, so i know where you are. that's peace of mind to some. >> all right. well, one last question, kyle. how do you physically turn it off? like if you want to get rid of that location service, what should you do? >> if you are an iphone or ipad user, it's really, really simple. you just go to your ipad. it works the same way on your iphone. you hit settings. go to privacy. then you hit location services right up here, and it shows you all of the apps that need your location to function. if you want it on for maps, we can have it turned on for maps because that means your gps location to work, but if i want to turn it off for twitter, so all my tweets don't show my exact location. >> if you were to turn off your complete location service, do that. if you were to turn off a big button on top, that means everything goes away. if you want no one to know anything, that's how you do it? >> correct. >> if your map is on, people don't know you're there, do you? >> correct. >> just to make sure. >> you pick and choose. kyle, thank you. thanks, guys.

thanks for everything. sarah is across the street riling the crowd up because we asked whacky questions. little word game. i think your friends will understand. oh no, it's actually my geico app...see? ...i just uh paid my bill. did you really? from the plane? yeah, i can manage my policy, get roadside assistance, pretty much access geico 24/7. sounds a little too good to be true sir. i'll believe that when pigs fly. ok, did she seriously just say that? geico. just click away with our free mobile app. that's why i take new trubiotics. it's a daily probiotic that helps in two ways. one helps support digestive health, the other immune health. stay true to your health. new trubiotics. from the makers of one-a-day.

>> it's time for three, two, one live with sara haines who is hanging out with people at the nbc experience store. >> too late to back out now. we hope you pulled together a tantalizing question or two for us. >> i have lou who told me to call him love. >> meredith, how has it been hosting with hoda? >> seriously, it's been great. i love hoda. she's hysterically funny, and i always have a good time. i'm thrilled to host. >> it's fun. >> we had a good time. >> we did. >> we've been drinking. >> sara, thank you so much. >> how much -- >> that's it? >> i know. sometimes things are short here. all right?

how much do you know about taking care of your skin during the winter? we'll separate the myths from the fact. that's a contest between me and you. >> you may be afraid to go to your boss. we'll tell you how to ask for that raise you deserve. back after this.

>> we're back on this try day friday. pop icon cindy lauper is here to talk about her latest project "cindy lauper, still so unusual." that's her reality show premiering on we tv next saturday. >> the grammy winning artist has been in the music industry for over three decades and shows no sign of slowing down. >> you don't. >> hey, cindy. >> i got an emmy too. >> you are very busy. >> you are. >> i did. i got an emmy when i did man of value. they did really great work. >> you have done it all, this one, hasn't she? >> we were saying in the chat we wondered why you decided a reality show, given all you know about the craziness of that world. >> well, yes and no.

>> okay. >> because, you know, it's not "the apprentice." there's no envelope. nobody is winning. no contest. it was such an unusual year for me. you know, i never planned it like this, but all of a sudden everything started happening at once. >> tell us what's happening. what kind of things. >> well, you know, about four and a half years ago harvey firestein said what are you doing, and at that point i had just finished the dishes, and i said, you know, i finished the tour. i finished -- >> yes. >> he says would you like to write something for me? i'm writing a play. would you like to do the music? honestly -- >> broadway. >> i love him. >> that's a scary proposition. >> yes and no. i write the songs. i'm not writing the dialogue. >> right. right. >> and i thought, you know, if i worked with harvey, it would be fun. you know?

>> in your show what are we going to see? there's mention of your husband is in it, your son is in it. all the things you're juggling at once. what will viewers see? >> everybody else except you have to pick -- fix yourself up and look extra nice when you go to work, otherwise you get in trouble, you know, but i think it's the struggle of the juggle. i had an extremely big year with writing music for the play, but i started four years ago, and, you know, it's a process that just keeps going and going, and i am privileged to be walked through this process with harvey firestein and jerry mitchell and one of the tony-winning orchestrators, steve reamas. you couldn't ask for a better entrance. >> what are people going to learn about your personal side that they didn't know before?

>> i don't know. i think my life is an open book, and the other thing was i finished writing a book this year, so i wrote a memoir. i'm doing this play, and i love tv anyway, and i also love film, and although everybody says, oh, reality shows, i really feel that it's only been 20 years old. that's not old for a genre. >> do you have any kind of editorial control? does everything that's been on the air -- there's something that you said this is okay with me, i would like this on? >> well, yeah. i think that it's not "survivor," although i'm working with mark burnett. what do you want -- like, could you imagine if you said to me, well, what's it about, and i said, well, i don't know, you know? it's so secretive. even if i haven't seen it. because we're all part of it. >> your vulnerable side ends up too on the air, right? >> well, listen, it ends up wherever you are.

you know, it is kind of the good, the bad, and the ugly. there was a couple of things. you don't have to make stuff up because, honestly, in my life it happens. you know? >> you can't control it. >> you don't have to make that stuff up. >> we wish you the best of luck with your show on broadway. >> when does that open? >> well, it opens in march -- no, in april. it previews in march. billy porter is in the play. stark sands, and wonderful cast. emily ashford. it's just really -- >> we wish you great luck with that and with the show. it's going to be on we tv. >> we tv. 9:00. >> of course, it is. >> on the 12th. >> how can we forget? >> you know, there was a little mishap. >> okay. okay. thank you, sweetie. >> do you need to change your skin care routine, by the way, for winter? >> are you talking to me? >> we'll take a beauty quiz and find out separating myth from fact.

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it is time for today's beauty, and beauty myths that will surprise you. do you know if you are caring for your skin correctly as the seasons change? >> a lot of people don't realize they're making mistakes when it comes to skin care, and here to test our knowledge on skin care is beauty and lifestyle expert sarah ebbingenberger. hey, sarah. >> hello. >> we're playing a game. >> we are. >> i'm here to set the record straight, and we're going to play a game. you have your paddles. >> i will ask the question, and then you say if it's a myth or a fact. >> okay. >> okay. question number one, ready? >> yes. >> using preparation h around your eyes will decrease puffiness. >> fact. fact. >> fact. [ buzzer ] >> what? >> it's a myth? >> don't believe everything you read. >> i was on television with

somebody putting that hemorrhoid stuff on. >> i hope it was in the 1990s because in the 1990s they reformulated and took out the key ingredient. it used to work a long time ago, but it no longer works. >> we're playing dirty here. question number two, apply deodorant in the morning after you shower? >> fact. >> fact. [ buzzer ] >> come on, ladies. ideally you apply it in the evening when your sweat production is at your lowest. >> but then you'll take a shower and wash it off. >> it stays on for 24 hours. if you put your deodorant on when you are wet, which is what you are going to be, then it works topically rather than in the pore. >> what if you dry off? >> you need to fully dry. don't be damp. you need to be fully dry so the deodorant can be most effective. >> that tricked us. >> let's try the next one. perfume can make you appear pounds lighter? >> true. >> myth.

>> fact. >> i say myth. >> meredith won. >> 1-0. >> that's like -- >> the smell and taste treatment and research foundation found it to be true. when you wear a spicy floral scent, you look 12 pounds lighter according to men. >> you look 12 pounds lighter. >> men -- >> they love the smell. >> because they're distracted. >> the smell perception changes your body image. >> that is -- >> i haven't believed one thing so far. >> all right. the next one. your morning cup of orange juice can cause chapped lips. >> true. >> fact. >> all right. you got this one. that is true because the citrus is the low acidity that causes your lips to be more dry. >> should you put chap stick on before you -- >> or use a straw. rinsing your hair in beer will cause it to have more volume? >> fact. >> yes. >> true.

>> all right. >> thicken up. it is true. it is true. okay. number -- well, there is a gift basket to be won here. it is serious business. number six, brushing your hair 100 times will increase the shine. >> myth. >> myth. >> all right, ladies. you got this. this is great. >> wow. >> marcia brady was an over achiever in that category and did not need to brush her hair 100 times. >> this matters. this is the tie-breaker. >> it's not a tiebreaker. i'm going to win. tiebreaker. >> trust me. it is. >> dab toothpaste on a break-out to make it -- >> fact. [ buzzer ] >> it no longer works. it actually dries out the zit but it makes it dry around the surrounding area so it's a bull's eye. >> it doesn't look good. >> let's review and see who won. >> you won by one. >> it doesn't matter how you win. >> well, you do win a basket.

>> it's a gift basket. >> oh, my god. >> preparation h. deodorant. that's the best deodorant. that secret kind. eucalyptus. >> we can share. i'll give you the preparation h. >> i don't want it. >> i don't want to embarrass you at the drugstore. >> something we want and deserve, but we often dread doing it. >> how do you ask for a raise? we'll talk about it after this. good morning. this is the weather channel forecast for today. we'll watch that system that brought some rain and snow to texas move into missouri, illinois and eventually into indiana. look for areas of snow, also more lake effect snow throughout parts of the northeast and new england. we're going to be dealing with temperatures on the cool side. it's not downright chilly in the northern locations. 20s for northern plains. in the northeast to new england,

reings into the 50s for much of the south and 40s in between. looking at sunday, we'll see this low pick up more of that moisture on the great lakes. bring more snow showers. a few showers in the northeast. not a major rain maker but deal with some showers. then in the west, another system moving in. mountain snow, lower elevation rain. this will include a good portion of california. even into southern california going to see that rain. then on sunday, temperatures going to warm up a bit into the mid to upper 30s. we'll see more 50s and 60s in the south. still cold in the northern plains. and on monday, we're going to see a decent day for much of the country. there will be a few exceptions for the bcs championship game in miami. maybe a few showers. otherwise it will be cold in the northeast. pacific northwest has another system moving in. on tuesday we'll watch this low right here. we'll watch and see what happens. a this is scoots across the country, it is possible there

could be some severe weather associated with it and maybe some snow once it gets farther into the mid section. possibly even the great lakes and the northeast. we'll watch that low move in. then by thursday, we'll watch it move right in over illinois. the track has a little variability. it is still about a week away. we'll keep an eye on things for you every morning at 5:30 a.m. "wake up with al." nd of golf. then i read a book while teaching myself how to play guitar; ran ten miles while knitting myself a sweater; jumped out of a plane. finally, i became a ping pong master while recording my debut album. how you ask? with 5-hour energy. i get hours of energy now -- no crash later. wait to see the next five hours.

went home and fed her family. now she's helping her community. no wonder it's hard to focus on her own needs. but she's got one a day women's, a complete multivitamin with key nutrients women may need all in one pill. because our focus is you. >> now on "today's money" how to ask for a raise even if you feel you deserve one, you may not know the right way to ask for one. >> how do you get that difficult conversation started? here are some ideas from jean chaski and rhonda flora. >> this is such a tough topic. sometimes we know we're underpaid, and we know people around us are paid more, but

just the idea of walking into our boss's office is a tough one, isn't it? >> especially for women. >> so much more for women than for men. nine out of ten women in a poll said they believe it's embarrsing and two and a half times more women than men said they found it humiliating. it really bothers me. there is nothing humiliating about asking for a raise. especially if you have done the work to deserve it. that means putting yourself in the right frame of mind and really doing your homework so that you know how to do it. >> when you say that, what do you mean? how do you prepare for the conversation? >> i think timing is key. time is very important. >> yes. >> first, don't roll in after a two-week vacation and waltz into your boss's office and think that's a good time for a raise. nor should you do it after a company-wide e-mail that is gone out and announcing massive layoffs. it's not at performance review time, but after you have overdelivered on a project.

>> how do you know if you do deserve one because people aren't talking about their salaries, so you don't know what everyone is making around you. >> my secret sauce is go into a different company where you have friends that are in similar jobs that you are and say not how much do you make, because nobody wants to answer that question, but what would somebody with my skills earn at your company. that's the question that people actually feel comfortable asking, and you should also hit the internet. web sites like salary.com and monster.com, they are -- >> pay scale. >> they have so much information on exactly what people are earning. >> when you go in, what is the conversation? how do you start that conversation? i happen to know that this is what other people make in -- >> what's the right way? >> do your homework, and bench mark your salary against other executives in similar cities. don't benchmark yourself against someone in new york city if are you working in tulsa. the more information you have, the more ammunition you have to state your case. go into your boss's office with a list of accomplishments, recognitions, awards. things that you have really

overachieved on. most likely your boss has no idea that you have done all this work. having that list handy gives you the ammunition. >> a lot of bosses are saying all well and good, jean, i know have worked hard and, like, there's nothing there. what do you say there? >> you need to be prepared with a list of other things that you might be willing to take in lieu of money. >> such as? >> more flex time or something? >> more flex time, more vacation. more flexibility to do other things. i wouldn't leave without suggesting that i'm going to come back and revisit the concept of actual money in six months because that's what it's all about these days. salaries have been stagnant for such a long time. >> should you give a specific number? >> absolutely. >> tell them what you want. >> 5% or 10% higher than you actually want to be. >> why? >> so your boss has some place to negotiate down. >> okay. so he doesn't feel that -- >> it's got to be a win for the person on the other side of the table. >> be prepared for a no answer, and then have a list of things that you would accept instead. >> great.

sounds good. thanks, guys. >> thank you so much. >> it is time to cut the fat. >> healthy and fun foods that could save calories without losing flavor. first, this is "today" on nbc.

the champagne is popped and the gifts unwrapped, the food chowed down. after enjoying our fair share of

holiday cheer, we enter 2013 with a goal of losing weight and feeling better. >> one way to eat smarter is to make healthy swaps when you are cooking. here with a few tricks up her sleeve is director of nutrition at calorie count.com rachel burman. how are you? >> definitely. well, you know, we want to make healthy swaps, but our weight is not only dictated by our health. we want to incorporate ingredients that have a lot of nutrition and pack in health benefits without compromising on flavor, right? >> first off, get rid of the butter. >> it's rich in those artery-clogging, saturated fats that we just don't need in our diet. instead we're going to use some pureed fruit. you can use avocado, prunes, apple sauce. the avocados work the best because they do have that fat so that the consistency will be great, and those are the heart-healthy fats. >> do you usually use the same measurements. >> they're one to one swaps. one cup of butter for -- >> what's the cookies? >> these are the cookies that you are going to taste. they're equal parts peanut butter and olive oil instead of

butter, and that's really packing in the heart healthy fats. we need fats in our diet. you don't want to feel deprived. otherwise -- >> i'm glad. >> those are good. >> water. that's fine. >> you all right? >> great. so here is a fun little trick. i'm not trying to give eggs a bad rap here at all, but if you don't have eggs on hand or you want to make a recipe vegan-friendly, you can use a tablespoon of chia or flax seed mixed with three table spoons of water. it creates this gel-like consistency that can substitute for the egg yolk. it's a great trick. it's adding omega 3's. this is a weird one coming up. >> this is a little unusual, but if you want a cup of flour out of a recipe, say you have celiac

disease or a gluten sensitivity and you want to cut it out, you can use black beans. this is in a chocolate recipe. they're pureed. a can of black beans. >> how would that even correlate to flour? >> it works with the consistency. take another sip of water. >> no, because this is moist. that's a little dry. this is not bad. >> maybe it's not for you, but -- >> it's not bad, though. i would eat that. i would. >> great. >> but you didn't. >> later. so instead of -- this is another one. bred crumbs are in a lot of comfort food recipes. instead of bread crumbs can you use crushed nuts or rolled oats. that adds a serving of whole grains. i think what we're swapping in is better. >> i agree. >> and just have sodium and not much nutrition. >> what's at the end here? >> exactly. >> we're talking about cream

substitutes here, and cream. you think cream cheese, ice cream, a lot of saturated fat, right? even if we use half of the cream cheese in recipes for like a cheesecake, for example, with half greek yogurt, even a full fat greek yogurt will cut calories and saturated fat. you can use 2% or 0% as well. everyone has different thresholds. it definitely works, and it's still tasting delicious, and protein is added. our last taste test here. ice cream. for someone who has a sweet tooth, right? after a meal, you might want a scoop of ice cream, and instead of something like a chocolate chip ice cream, we're using banana ice cream, and this has no cream in it at all. >> banana. frozen banana with dark chocolate chips, almonds. >> while meredith is having that -- >> no, it's for you. it's for you. >> before we say good-bye, we've got a special hour coming up on tuesday, meredith. are you coming back? we're getting fit and doing our entire show on treadmills. >> are you serious? >> anyway, we want you to send